Which scroll with vs is decent or better.

[renderer01]

Just a few clues / ideas data please of good brands of scroll saw with variable speed I have never used one but im told they are quiet and relatively safe. My wife is terrified of bandsaw but loves the idea of bandsaw boxes and she enjoys carving.
Im therefore toying with the idea of getting a scroll to encourage her and add more fun to what she does, side effect is it may prove usefull to me as well.

Thanks in advance.

Rend.

 

[Chippygeoff]

I think you would struggle to make a bandsaw box on a scroll saw, having said that you could certainly make some small ones. A scroll saw would struggle to cut through thick wood of 2 inches, which would be about the maximum thickness, I tried some compound cuts in 2inch pine and it was like watching paint dry as it took so long. The end results were nice though. As has been said many times on this forum, the best saws are made by Hegner but they come at a staggering price. I would not touch one of the cheapies, wouldn't last five minutes in my workshop.

 

[renderer01]

Hello Geoff,
Are all the other brands classed as cheapys?
Lol the hegnar is just a tad on the dear side for me. Do understand re the max thickness of timber sorry for confusion it was stated just as an example of what my wife enjoys.She really fancys the cut and carved pictures ie wolfshead.

What about Axminster / Record / Dewalt / Delta Others?

Rend.

 

[ChrisR]

A further vote for Hegner, =D> yes it comes at a cost, but I don’t think you would ever regret the purchase, and on the off chance that you did, selling it on would not be a problem.

Yes you would loose some money from the purchase price, but the loss would only be equal to the total price of a less expensive saw, that you would have trouble giving away.

Take care.

Chris R.

 

[renderer01]

Hello Gents,
Thanks for data. Will give this a huge miss for the time being at least.

Merry Christmas.

Rend.

 

[OldWood]

Hello Gents,
Thanks for data. Will give this a huge miss for the time being at least.

Merry Christmas.

Rend.

The Hegner Snobs ... and I will repeat "The Hegner Snobs" ...should to be banned from this forum for being totally destructive to the hobby of scroll sawing. Rend's reaction is the classic example and I have seen this situation occur very recently on this board where someone was asking very much the same question and got scared off by the Hegner Snobs saying that you can only have there chosen variety of machine and nothing else - just nothing else will do.

This really is a case where a moderator should step in and apply some pressure to such people and make the point to them officially that their advice is seriously impacting on the opportunity of people to take up scrolling at a price that is realistic. No one really wants to commit £500 to start a hobby; that sort of money is quite realistic when you have cut your teeth, but never at the start up point.

So please put-up-and-shut-up when this enquiry arises again as you are just putting people off.

Rend - have a consideration for the Axminster 'Jet JSS-16'. I bought the equivalent of this - it is badged by all sorts of tool dealers (Jet, Record, Woodstar, Clark, etc) - about a year ago at a sale. I played with it vaguely, but had no specific project and it went onto a shelf. This autumn the required project came up and I went up the learning curve to produce the Noahs's Ark and then the Nativity shown below.

The 'reindeer' is a 2 plane cut on the scroll saw, and the Wise Men in the Nativity are 30mm tall so you can get a reasonable idea of what detail can be achieved on such a machine by a novice.

I had the opportunity to try the Axminster AWFS18 after these items were made and found the Jet better in noise, vibration and general pleasantness of use. It's only advantage was the quick release lever above the blade, but its blade clamping was poorer.

The version of the Jet I have has an adjustable hold-down and a light. The Jet has a hold-down which helps a bit to begin with but my experience is that you will abandon this after a while - at the expense at that point of a blade or two; it doesn't have a light but that is no specific loss as you will always find a better adjustable light in Ikea or somewhere. It looks to me as the Jet has a quick release lever at the adjustment knob which would be nice to have.

I'm very happy with this machine - it's easy to handle and works well. Mine is a bit of a pain to do blade release when cutting internal, but at £100 I can live with that. The speed control is excellent.

On the basis of what I, as a complete novice, have made on the same model as the Jet, I would recommend it.

Rob

 

[ChrisR]

Rob.

I don’t mind being called a Hegner snob, I have been called a lot worse.
When a person wants advice on which scroll saw to purchase, I will continue to recommend Hegner, as I have had the pleasure of using one for many years, trouble free.

It is up to you, to give your advice/ recommendation on the saw you use and are happy with.

I would suggest that more people are put off scroll sawing, by purchasing an inexpensive saw that does not perform to their expectations, gets discarded, and they look for a new hobby.

As for putting up and shutting up, I for one will not be following this advice.

I think maybe you did not get the Christmas present that you wanted, and felt you had to vent your feelings on this forum.

I sincerely hope you have a happier new year.


Take care, from a very satisfied HEGNER user/owner.

Chris R

 

[martinka]

Rob,

The ark and nativity are excellent. I have said all along that great work can be done on cheaper saws, especially the Jet, though I am biased as I owned one. I have a Hegner now, but I would never have got into scroll sawing if I hadn't owned the Jet first, and if my mother hadn't died and left me a few quid, I would still be using that Jet saw as I would have never been able to afford a Hegner. Which makes me wonder, if you can't afford a Hegner, does this mean you shouldn't entertain ever doing any scroll sawing?

I think banning people for voicing their, admittedly, rather forceful at times, opinions, might be going a bit too far, but I agree that the Hegner is not the be all and end all of scroll sawing. Cheaper saws can do some great work and as long as their limitations are recognised, they can provide enjoyment.

It's a subject for debate, but please leave out the name calling and jibes.

 

[Samfire]

I see it like this. If you take up motor sport you do not have to start with an f1 car. Lots of fun can be had with a go kart.
George
PS nice work Rob

 

[M P Hales]

Oldwood

Not all Hegner users are snobs about the machine they use!

I started off with a Scheppach decoflex which wasn't balanced , inside cuts were a pain in the backside and shook my bench and everything on it.

Thanks to the advise from the "Snobs" you refer to I stuck with scrolling BECAUSE I got the Hegner as I would have given up if I'd stuck with the cheaper machine.

Just because people have an expensive machine it doesn't mean they are showing off or giving Snobby advice it just shows that they have an opinion on what is a good scroll saw so that other people may not make the same mistake I did by buying a cheap machine then spending even more on a quality product.

If you are happy with your saw then say so but don't slag off other peoples advice as otherwise it detracts from the OP's request for good information as to what to do for the best :!:

M

 

[woodndrum]

I would have thought it odd to stipulate variable speed for an introductory machine. I have Rexon which was under £100 and no longer available. With good blades I have built up basic skills and ability where I might appreciate a H machine, but my cheapo has earned many times it's price. I would have to live a long time to profit many times an H! There is room for all, and if you can only afford 100GBP then my advice is start sawing on the best you can afford and buy good blades. The next best advice would be to buy good blades. After that I would suggest buy good blades. Yup that's it start sawing and use good blades, simple!

 

[Grahamshed]

It seems to me that the only people who responded to the original post were hegner owners so they were the ones that were recommended. If all of you who are in favour of cheaper machines had responded earlier the OP would have received a more balanced set of answers.
Nobodies fault. That is just the way it happened.

 

[renderer01]

Hello All,
I absolutely have listened to all said here several times over, and completely appreciate the candour of all, I am in your debt. I would like to be able to afford a hegner but especially this time of year its impossible. The future however is a very different story.
To me the benefit is I had zero knowledge and as a member asked the question and glad I did, I at least now have a very balanced idea of pros and cons of these types of machine. This at the very least allows me the opportunity to make a more informed choice.
Old Wood (Rob)? I think its yourself who gave me a hand to cut up a hollytree at the back of my house a couple of years ago. If so hello matey and merry christmas.

Thanks very muchly to everyone concerned.

All the very best.

Rend.

 

[Chippygeoff]

Rob. I feel you are right out of order with your comments. I endorse everything Chris stated in his post. I have nothing against other scroll saws and at the end of the day its down to what you want to achieve with a scroll saw, what thickness of wood you want to cut, is variable speed going to be an advantage and a few other questions as well. For something venturing into scroll saw work for the first time it can be a bit of a nightmare as to what machine to get. I and many others advise people to get a hegner if they can afford one as they are the best machines available today. An expert can make a cheap scroll saw sing. You can buy a scroll saw for under £100 but what we advise people is that it will be hard going and they may be put off scrollsawing for good. Blade changing can be a pain in the rear not to mention vibration and other problems. I feel that most scrollers start off with a cheap machine and they become hooked, as I did, and then their goal is to own a Hegner. The difference between a Hegner and a cheapy is huge as many will testify. I earn my living from scroll saw work and I wanted the best machine available. It is so reliable and well made. I have no regrets saving up for 6 months to buy mine. It was a good investment. I would not call myself a Hegner snob I just like to have the best tool for the job in hand. A cheap saw would not last long in my workshop as it is on the go for up to 8 hours a day.

 

[bugbear]

An expert can make a cheap scroll saw sing.

This is the classic paradox - it is the expert who could make the low end tool work well, whilst a beginner needs the help of the better machine. But it tends to be the beginner who buys (and struggles with) the low end device. This applies far more widely whan scroll saws.

BugBear

 

[Bryan Bennett]

I am certainly NOT A SNOB with having a HEGNER,people ask for advice in which scroll saw to buy.The members who are fortunate to own a Hegner give there views on how they perform.They do NOT go over the top and PUSH HEGNER,.When I bought my HEGNER a very long time ago I did NOT KNOW that other machines were available.I consider myself very fortunate to have bought a HEGNER.I could go on but you may have got the message by NOW.

Bryan